Little did I know back in the early ’90s, when I was working in New York City with famed ocean explorer Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, that his trip to Rio de Janiero for the Earth Summit in 1992 would contain the seeds of a massive, worldwide, U.N.-sponsored effort to change everything about our lives and yes, our freedoms.
It was officially the U.N. International Conference on Environment and Development, held on the 20th anniversary of the first U.N. Conference on the Environment. Agenda 21 was adopted in Rio; it’s a global plan for sustainable management of forests, land, populations, human environment and all human activities.
The United Nations building was just a few blocks from our office, and we had a liaison with the organization who kept us updated. Indeed, the captain and The Cousteau Society had regular contact with the U.N. on varied issues over the years.
At the time, I was innocent in my understanding of what was going on and the scope of the Rio Summit. But it didn’t take me long to wise up to the fact it wasn’t a benign meeting of people who “cared” about keeping the earth healthy for man and nature.
Unfortunately, as the environmental movement has grown since then, that portrayal of “green goals” has taken precedence because it’s such a warm and fuzzy concept, which makes it easy to sell to gullible people.
After all, who wants dirty air, water and beaches!?!
But we’re surrounded by gullible fools – ourselves and our neighbors, educators, businessmen, clergy, media, entertainers, bureaucrats and right up to elected officials.
They’ve all been sold the party line about what we must do to save the planet; whatever they’re told, they follow orders. After all – it’s for the children, for the animals, for the planet. As a result, anything goes.
Unfortunately, with that line of thinking, they’re doing just about everything they’re told. The end result will indeed be that everything goes.
For instance?
Well, how about lessening private property rights?
New controls on how property can be used, developed or even landscaped?
Restricting freedom of travel and modes of travel?
Mandating how homes are designed, built, equipped and used?
Requiring new appliances and household and business fixtures, which don’t work as well but are supposed to be better for the planet?
New restrictions on business operations, regardless of cost, supposedly to clean the air?
New and expensive gasoline formulations that are less efficient and supposedly clean the air yet, as did MTBE, polluted groundwater and poisoned people?
How about media and educators forcing the concept of saving the planet in newspapers, magazines, radio, television movies and especially in the school curriculum K-12 and into college?
Regulations force towns and cities to modify master plans to squeeze populations into transit villages with the goal of getting people out of private vehicles and into mass transit?
Regulating and reducing water supplies to farms and ranches with the goal of returning the land to nature and away from perceived destructive cultivation?
Tearing down dams to save fish?
Massive encouragement to increase open space and parkland and reduce so-called urban sprawl, which translates to reducing the number of single-family homes?
Last month, Los Angeles City, by a 13-1 vote, banned the use of plastic bags at supermarket checkouts, and the push is on to make it statewide. They’re also considering banning paper bags. L.A. County already charges 10 cents for each paper bag used.
Does any of this sound familiar? Are any of these things happening where you live?
If you’re at all aware of what’s going on in your area, all of these things are happening and most people don’t know it all stems from Agenda 21.
It even affects the military. The Army Times reports that the White House ordered the Defense Department to emphasize “sustainable development” on bases and curb energy use.
Are you ready? “Planners must make bases more walkable.”
Consider that Agenda 21 regards private land ownership as contributing to “social injustice” because it allows for “accumulation and concentration of wealth.” In that view, land must be used “in the interest of society as a whole.”
Have you seen or heard the words “sustainable development”? That’s right out of Agenda 21 – covering all of the above and, right now, heavily promoted in the areas of energy production.
Pressured to get solar for your home or business? Feeling the long arm of the law requiring solar for your business? It’s all part of Agenda 21’s sustainable development.
Right now, California is about to adopt strict energy efficiency standards for all new homes and commercial structures. They’ll deal with insulation, heating and air installations and require “solar ready roofs.”
Switch from coal, wood or gas burning and use electricity produced by solar or wind power? Cap and Trade? All part of sustainable development!
Been forced to have a “smart meter” on your house? Just wait until the utility tells you how much power you can use – and when.
Damn the cost. Damn the pollution in production. If it’s “green,” it’s untouchable.
Remember Al Gore and global warming? Thanks, Al.
In his summary of Agenda 21, Daniel Sitarz wrote that Agenda 21 will ” … influence decision-making at every level of society … every human action … every personal decision.”
Like what?
“What we manufacture, what we buy, what we wear, how we travel, what we eat, who we choose as leaders … (because) every single human action (impacts) the environment and all other people … and the planet.”
There are more than 129 areas Agenda 21 covers, and that’s before it addresses who will pay for it and how much.
There was a U.N. climate summit in Bonn last week, and the big argument was financing. The next meeting is in Qatar in November and the next Earth Summit is coming up this year, too.
Still think it’s all make-believe?
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